


mama

by screaminghalfpastmidnight



Series: happy endings aren't overrated [5]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Felicity is a Good Mom, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Season/Series 07, a little au-ish but it's what i deserve, we all miss Thea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 01:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21879169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screaminghalfpastmidnight/pseuds/screaminghalfpastmidnight
Summary: oliver goes to prison and felicity & william are placed in witness protection. Hope Springs sucks and it's not easy.oliver comes back and things aren't okay but they will be and that's enough for them.OR//william calls felicity mama in Hope Springs & oliver notices when they're all finally together again.fluff & angst ensues.
Relationships: John Diggle & Felicity Smoak, John Diggle & Oliver Queen, John Diggle & Oliver Queen & Felicity Smoak, Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, William Clayton & Felicity Smoak, William Clayton & Oliver Queen
Series: happy endings aren't overrated [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1576168
Comments: 12
Kudos: 129





	mama

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. felicity does not replace samantha - william's allowed to have two moms ok!!!  
> 2\. john & felicity will always make it through things and they understand each other so well that i physically could not write her being mad at him for what he did this season sorry bout it

Hope Springs was hard for them. They’d had to take on new identities, pretend there wasn’t some looming threat dangling over their heads and most of all, they had no idea how Oliver was doing or how hard it must have been to be in prison. They knew he didn’t deserve that. But they had each other and somehow, it made it easier. Never easy, but easier. They’d spent their days in a routine - school for William, work for Felicity. William doing his homework at the coffee shop where she worked until she took them both back to their apartment that she was sure would never feel like a home to either of them. She did her best to make it seem that way for William though, she tried with everything she had to make it easier on him, although she rarely succeeded at getting a smile on his face.

Then they’d been attacked. Felicity had her epiphany and went to go see her husband, nearly breaking down when she saw his face. The relief in his eyes… surely he’d thought it’d be Dig or an ARGUS agent telling him that his wife and son had been murdered. She wasn’t an idiot - she knew Diaz most likely had people on the inside making Oliver’s life hell. Her heart tore into more and more pieces every time she thought about what it must be like for him in Slabside. She’d put on a brave face though, hoping to offer him a little bit of clarity after seeing her in person and giving herself a reminder of why she had to get through this. For Oliver. Even if he never made it out of there (which was something she banned herself from thinking about), she owed it to their many years of love, many deep conversations about their fears and their hopeful suggestions for the future, to keep fighting. To do everything she could to ensure that William would grow up with his father and his stepmother right by his side, aiding him through whatever he needed and loving him until the end. Then, maybe one day they’d move back to Ivytown, sit on their porch and watch the stars as they had so many times before, and die together in a peaceful, deserving way.

She hated the look on his face when she told him she wouldn’t go back into witness protection. The only thing he ever wanted was to protect her, to keep her alive and now, he had to sit in there knowing that she was out there, dealing with Diaz without him. She’d regretted the comment she made about not being able to protect her family as soon as she said it. She hadn’t meant to hurt him with it, she just had to make him see that she’d come so close to losing William and she wouldn’t let it happen again. Even if it didn’t work and Diaz ended up killing her, at least then she wouldn’t be with William and maybe, just _maybe_ Diaz would stop there. As long as William was alive, all sacrifices were worth taking.

The worst part of their visit was when he was told that his time was up. She could barely hear him through the glass, but she’d spent what felt like a lifetime with him - she knew what he was saying. He needed more time with her. No time would ever be enough. She watched the way he practically cradled the phone against his chest, as if he was cradling the last little bit of her that he’d have for a while. She felt like she was screaming _i love you_ and the solemn nod he gave her in understanding made her heart shatter. The last time they’d said _i love you_ through glass was when Dahrk had tried to gas her, John and Thea. She could still picture it. His _i love you so much_ , the pained look in his eye that somehow still managed to be overflowing with love and adoration and _i would’ve said yes_. Only that time, Laurel ( _their_ Laurel, as Oliver would say - Felicity distinguished them differently now, feeling that the _their_ was a little insensitive to her new found friendship with Earth-2 Laurel) and Malcolm had come and saved them, Oliver shattering the glass with a baton. If she closed her eyes, she could hear it. His soft _come here, baby_ and the shake of his breath as he lifted her out of the container. She could feel his hand tangled in her hair, his other one pulling tightly at her dress, thankful she was right in front of him.

If anyone asked her what the worst day of her life was, she’d say that day. Not because she was almost killed in a gas chamber, not because later that day she would be shot and paralyzed, not because they had gotten engaged only to watch their relationship fall to ashes months later. But because of the idea that if he hadn’t gotten her out in time, he would’ve had to watch her choke to death right in front of him. She knew that would be something that haunted him for years to come - watching his sister, his brother and his soon-to-be wife die a painful death, nothing but some thick glass separating them. So close, yet so far.

But he had gotten her out. He’d lifted her into his arms and practically vowed to never let her go. That didn’t happen now. Now, she stared at him in worry as he was led out of the room, security guard close behind him.

She’d kept her brave face on when she went back to William. She’d sat down in front of him and braced herself for his reaction. She knew he wanted to come with her to see his dad, but she also knew that Oliver wouldn’t want him to see him so broken and beat up. Instead, she gave him the Hōzen, her heart absolutely _aching_ for Thea and told him she’d always be able to find him (he didn’t know it then, but there was a double meaning to her words, courtesy of the technology she’d placed strategically in the object - she trusted ARGUS, but she needed her own backup plan).

His words tore into her, as she knew they would. _You’re leaving me_. Her sweet William who deserved so much better. She’d done her best to reassure him that she’d never truly leave him, that she’d come back for him, always. He’d closed off after that.

It wasn’t until he was about to get in the car to take him to the airport and she was seeing him off, that the tears started. He’d clung to her vigorously, begging her to let him stay, that he didn’t want to be apart from her. Then, instead of breaking her heart, his next words had tore it out of her chest and placed it in his back pocket. _Don’t leave me, Mama. I want to be with you._

Their identities in Hope Springs had been mother and son, so it wasn’t the first time Felicity had heard him utter the word _Mama_ although in Hope Springs, it had no meaning. Here, it meant everything. She knelt down and cupped his face, a single tear sliding down her own.

“I love you. _So much_. And I will come for you. Wherever you are, I will find you and bring you home to me. I _promise_.” He was still shaking in her arms, but he nodded at her, deciding to trust her words. She placed four kisses on his right cheek and he squeezed her, the ARGUS agent taking him away. She’d remembered at their time away for Barry and Iris’ wedding, when Iris and her were stuck in the vents of STAR Labs, waiting it out and she’d asked her about William. Iris had told her that her own father had said that being a parent was like wearing your heart on the outside of your body. Joe West was a smart man.

She rarely sleeps anymore, her mind clouded with Diaz and how she was going to stop him. She works at it 24/7, trying anything she can to get her family back together. She goes to see Oliver again and her heart stops at the news that he’s been taken to the lower level, the place for bad people. It’s not long after that she finds out what they plan to do to him in there. Everything becomes way too much for her and she’s so _so_ scared. For Oliver, for William, for herself. Finally, she breaks down.

She has a full-blown panic attack and Laurel’s the one to catch her before she hits the ground. Dinah’s there too, closing the door so that the three can be alone, ensuring no one can make it worse for her. They sit huddled on the floor, Laurel pressing kisses into her hair and Dinah squeezing her hands, tethering her to reality. It lasts a long time - longer than she thought a panic attack could last. Then again, it was always Oliver who got them, not her.

Eventually, they lock Diaz’s sorry ass up, and Oliver is released. She calls William the morning of, telling him she’ll be in Cambridge with his dad as soon as she can. He ends the call with an _I love you, Mama_ and her heart swells.

He looks absolutely terrible. Dried blood is streaked down his face. He’s limping. That god-awful beard has got to go. She takes small steps towards him and places a hand on his face, which he sinks into. They kiss, and it’s salty and different because of his beard and she’s trying not to hurt him more but it doesn’t matter. They’re locked in a hug for the entire duration of time it takes for Diggle to bring the car around, no words exchanged. He lets go to hug John and she can see tears shining in both of the men’s eyes. It’s a rare sight that either of them get emotional around the other, but it doesn’t feel foreign or awkward, it just solidifies their bond. They’re still brothers; always will be.

He holds her hand in the car, thumb stroking it softly.

Dig drops them at the home that’s really not theirs but would be now. It could never be a home without him there. Oliver and Dig hug again and Oliver moves towards the door, watching the looks that his two teammates exchange. Felicity can tell what John wants to say but doesn’t know how to say it, so she just pulls him in for a hug.

“I love you, you know?” Her words come out in a question, making sure he knows that she doesn’t hold anything against him. As much as it hurt and probably wasn’t went around the right way, she knows John. She knows how much he loves and missed Oliver and she knows that he was just trying to protect her heart. How could she be mad at him?

“I love you too. You’re my best friend.” He mumbles into her shoulder, squeezing her a little tighter.

“And you’re mine.” She pulls away, pressing a kiss on his cheek. “Bye, John.”

She walks up to where Oliver’s standing, placing a careful hand on his back, leading him into the house. “Are you two okay?”

First words he says to her are out of concern for her and his best friend. _Figures_. “Yeah, we’ll be fine. We’re family.”

He doesn’t push the matter, which she appreciates.

They take two days to recover and just be together. They rediscover each other in every way, both giving reassurances and millions of kisses. They don’t have the talk they need to, not yet, but at least they know the love’s still there.

They go to Cambridge on the third day, both ready to bring their son home. They’d talked about it and they both know there’s a chance that he may actually like his new school and want to stay, but for now they’d just go see him. Figure out what he wants.

He’s waiting on the front steps of his boarding house when they arrive, looking the most anxious she’s ever seen him. He flies down the stairs in seconds when their car pulls up, crashing into his dad’s arms. They hug for a while and Felicity watches, content to see her boys together again. He crashes into her arms with the same amount of force he did with Oliver, letting out a “Hi, Mama.”

Oliver’s breath catches. He knew he’d been gone long, he knew it was just the two of them for a long time, but the title catches him off guard. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it makes his wonder how much he missed between his wife and son. Was there some deep emotional conversation between the two or did he just say it one day and it stuck?

He watches as his wife presses a kiss into his son’s cheek, smile mirroring his. William immediately asks if they’re going home and after a small conversation, Felicity goes to talk to the dean while Oliver helps William pack.

They’re in Star City in no time, Oliver making them breakfast for dinner like they used to and William’s face breaking out into a grin when he realizes they already had a room set up for him with things Felicity thought he’d like. He knows they love him, but it’s still nice to know that he’s thought about. She wasn’t lying when she said she fully planned to come back for him.

He tells them he loves him before he goes to bed, leaving a dopey look on Oliver’s face as he takes Felicity in his arms, resting his chin on her head. “ _Mama_ , huh?”

She laughs into his chest. “You okay with that?”

“Music to my fucking ears.” She places a kiss on his chest as they sway, one shared thought running through their heads.

_They’re going to be fine._


End file.
